> > From: Diane Lent <greenelent at earthlink.net>
>> Later I was encouraged again by the
>> formation of the Coordinating Committee and a good
>> meeting in the end of Oct. with over 50 people
>> present. Since then everything I have attended has
> > been smaller and narrower it its political view.
>
>I think this paragraph sums up one of the big problems that has caused
>the anti-war movement to spins it wheels. There was apparently an effort
>made in the anti-war coalitions that were formed right after 9/11 to get
>rid off the grassroots democracy that had been a hallmark of the
>anti-globalization movement. I suspect this was done by groups that
>wanted to control the agenda, especially peace groups who have long been
>dominated by hierarchical organizaing styles. And then there are all the
>leftover vanguardists who have been itching to be part of an
>old-fashioned hierarchical coalition. These groups inevitably organize
>tame protests which are conducive to recruiting and newspaper sales.
>
>It's probably no surprise that many activists in the anti-glob movement
>who were used to a more democratic style of organizing decided to stay
>away from these old school coalitions. This doesn't mean that they
>aren't doing antiwar activism--I know many activists who are doing
>anti-war activism in their own groups.
In Columbus, OH, we didn't create a coordinating committee but formed a number of working groups on various activities: teach-ins; flyering; street theater; Women in Black vigils; and so on. Once we created working groups, though, attendance at regular Sunday meetings went down, because folks had working-group meetings to attend, which added to their workload. (Thanksgiving & final exams also took their toll recently. Then there will be Christmas & other family obligations soon!) Nevertheless, an overall number of people in the anti-war coalition has steadily gone up, as we've always circulated sign-up sheets at every teach-in, film showing, etc. we've held, as well as signing up folks at events organized by groups that are not in the anti-war coalition yet. One thing I'm proud of is that our events have been consistently attended by multi-racial & multi-ethnic groups of people.
While continuing to expand bases of organizers by appealing to those who are already against the war, I think that we should begin organizing by going door to door, beginning in likely neighborhoods, starting sometime next year or the year after next.
In the meantime, we should get our speakers invited to places of worship & the like so they can speak to those who are plugged into existing non-leftist networks of social intercourse. In Columbus, we've been doing so already, but we should do more along this line.
Doug wrote:
>But you don't understand, Nathan! You don't win adherents by trying
>to appeal to them - that's vulgar marketing. They'll join when the
>social order begins collapsing and we wise leftists turn out to have
>all the answers. Right now, those who don't realize that Uncle Sam
>is a thug are a lost cause - benighted racists in the pay of
>imperialism. Forget them, and just concentrate on herding the cadre.
Without first creating large bases of committed organizers, or "herding the cadre" as Doug puts it derogatorily, your anti-war movement doesn't have enough thick-skinned & experienced individuals who have time, energy, skills, knowledge, and commitment to go out on their own and organize broader communities, rain or shine, come hail or high water. Only those who own the mass media like CNN can directly speak to everyone simultaneously, whatever each viewer or listener's political persuasion. We on the Left without such financial resources need to create our own human channels of communication first, which takes much time, patience, & willingness to work with other organizers despite many disagreements. -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Anti-War Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>